Hitler
'worried by extremist views of Goebbels', claimed
British official

By Chris Hastings and David
Bamber

THE ideological rantings of
Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda
minister, were so extreme that even Adolf
Hitler claimed to be frightened by them,
according to secret documents obtained by The
Telegraph.

The papers show that the Führer was worried
that the "excessive zeal" of some of his deputies,
and Goebbels in particular, was getting out of
proportion and undermining Germany's national
interests.

Hitler's
concerns were relayed in a letter written by Sir
Robert Vansittart, the permanent under
secretary at the Foreign Office to Sir Russell
Scott, a senior official in the Home Office. In
the letter, dated September 25, 1937, Sir Robert
related details of a conversation between Sir
Neville Henderson, Britain's ambassador to
Berlin (right), and
Baron von Neurath, the German foreign
minister.

He wrote:

"Henderson adds, 'There are signs that
Hitler himself is beginning to feel himself
hampered by the excessive zeal of some of his
deputies. Baron von Neurath told me that the
Chancellor recently asked him whether a good man
could be found to explain to the world the true
aims of and constitution of Nazism. According to
von Neurath, this inquiry had struck him as a
criticism of Goebbel's [sic] capacity
for antagonising foreign public opinion."

In 1937 Goebbels had established himself as a
flag-waver for the Nazi cause and in particular its
rabid anti-Semitism. He had recently organised an
exhibition of "degenerate art" to highlight the
work of such "undesirable" artists as Picasso and
been the main instigator of the regime's policy of
book burning. It was assumed at the time that the
policies were carried out with the full knowledge
and backing of Hitler.

The documents reveal however that Hitler was so
worried about the impact that Goebbels's actions
were having on public opinion, particularly abroad,
that he went behind his back and organised his own
secret goodwill mission to London. Hitler
dispatched Wilhelm Bohle, an influential
Yorkshire-born member of the Nazi Party then living
in Berlin, to London for secret talks with
Winston Churchill.

Sir Robert wrote: "Bohle told Henderson he was
coming to London early in October to lecture about
Nazi organisations abroad, and that he had arranged
to have a man-to-man talk with Winston Churchill.
Bohle's forthcoming visit gave Henderson a similar
impression, as being undertaken at Hitler's orders,
and Bohle's language to me was one of the most
moderate and reasonable nature." At the time,
Hitler was desperate to win favour with Britain.
German armies were preparing to invade Austria.
Hitler could not afford to alarm any other European
powers.

The papers will be
seized upon by those historians on the far Right
who have struggled to prove that Hitler was not
the dominant force behind Nazi ideology. Others,
however, will use them to contrast the cunning
of the Nazis with the naivety of British
officials, in particular Sir Nevile who was an
"appeaser" regarded as a useful tool by the
Nazis.

Andrew Roberts, the historian and a
recognized authority
on the Nazi regime, said: "This is a classic
example of the Nazis playing 'good cop, bad cop'.
They often tried to paint Hitler as a moderate and
other members of his entourage such as Goebbels as
extreme. At the time this was written they were
trying to lull the pro-appeasement Neville
Chamberlain government into believing that
Goering was also a moderate.

"It is a classic totalitarian tactic, Stalin was
always made out to be a moderate holding back more
extreme colleagues. I don't think this was the sort
of document that Goebbels would have been aware of,
so it is unlikely Hitler was letting this be known
in order to rein him in."

Charlie Chaplin, in his 1940 film The
Great Dictator, portrayed Hitler as a bumbling
figure who was led astray by his zealous propaganda
minister Herr Garbage, who was obviously based on
Goebbels. Both Sir Robert and Sir Russell died in
1960.

Website
note: One wonders if Sir Charles
Gray, the Judge who was scathing in his
Judgment
about David Irving's claim that Hitler
was less extreme than Goebbels in the Jewish
problem, will now see the light.